Cider-press.



N. M. PATTON.

CIDER PRESS. I APPLICATION FILED JAN.18,1911.

Patented June 13 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wamm N. M. PATTON.

CIDER PRESS. APPLIOATION 1ILED JAN.18,1911.

Patented J1me 13, 1911 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NOAH M. PATTON, OF RINARD MILLS, OHIO.

CIDER-PRESS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NOAH M. PATTON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Rinard Mills, in the county of Monroe and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cider- Presses, of which the following is a specification. 7

This invention relates to cider presses or presses for extracting the juice from various kinds of fruits or from the pulp, generally known as pomace, which is produced by grinding such fruits as apples, pears and the like.

The invention has for its object to produce a simple and eflective press which by a single operation will express the juice from the pulp, filter the same and discharge the remains at the tail end of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide an endless carrier consisting of two cooperating endless aprons between which the pulp product is carried between a plurality of press rollers, together with a cleaning device whereby the opposed faces of said aprons will be actuated upon to remove the waste. I

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of the character described which shall be simple and thoroughly effective in operation.

Vith these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood. that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alternations and. modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the opposite side of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 33 in Fig. 4. Fig. i is a top plan View.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The frame or casing of the improved ma- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1911.

Application filed January 18, 1911. Serial No. 603,330.

chine, which may be of any suitable and appropriate shape and dimensions, is provided with a hopper 1 through which the fruit, such as apples and the like, is fed to a grinding roller 2 supported upon a shaft 3 and cooperating with a concave 4: to reduce the fruit to pulp or pomace. The shaft 3 carries at one end thereof a spur wheel 5 and a sprocket wheel 6, said spur wheel meshing with a gear wheel 7 which may be driven by hand by means of a crank 8, or it may be driven by power supplied from any suitable source. The relative proportions of the spur wheel 5 and the gear wheel 7 may be varied, as is obvious, for the purpose of varying the relative speeds.

Supported for rotation in suitable bearings in the sides of the frame or casing are a series of shafts 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, said shafts being disposed in a common, preferably in a substantially horizontal, plane. An additional shaft 16 is supported beneath the shaft 14. The several shafts carry pressure rollers 10, 11, 12, 13, 1 1, 15 and 16, said rollers being preferably made of hard wood, although any suitable material may be employed. It is also desired to be understood that the said rollers may be of any desired diameter, although it is preferred that the rollers 10, 11 and 12 be of equal diameter, the rollers 13 and 16' somewhat larger and the roller 14 of still larger diameter, being the largest of the number, while the roller 15, which is of relatively small diameter, is provided with a heavy covering C of india rubber, some composition containing rubber, or other suitable resilient material. The several roller carrying shafts, excepting the shaft 14, are supported for rotation in bearing blocks or boxes 17 which are arranged slidably in suitable slots 18 in the sides of the frame or casing, said boxes being subjected to the action of pressure springs 19, whereby the shafts 10, 11, 12 and 13 are forced in the direction of each other, while the shafts 15, 16 are forced in the direct-ion of the shaft 14, thus causing the rollers 10, 11 and the rollers 12, 13 to be held forcibly in contact with each other, while the rollers 15 and 16 are held forcibly in contact with the roller 14 by the tension of the respective springs. The rollers 11 and 12 are slightly spaced apart, and the rollers 13 and 14: are likewise spaced apart, as will be best seen by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings. The foremost one of the series of pressure rollers, designated is located- I roller 10 is supported an idle roller 20. A

second idle roller 21 is supported for rotation beneath and somewhat in rear of the roller 16, and a third idle roller 22 is supported for rotation in the top of the casing, some distance in rear of the grinding roller 2.

Two endess aprons are provided, one of which, 23, is guided over the roller 22; the other apron 24 is guided upon the idle rollers 20 and 21. These aprons, which may be made of canvas, duck or other suitable textile material, are of the full width of the casing of the machine, and the said aprons,

coming together or converging beneath the grinding roller, are guided together beneath the roller 10, over the roller 11, under the roller 12, over the roller 13, under the roller 14, at which point the aprons separate, the apron 23 passing from the roller 14 forwardly over the idler 22, while the apron 24 is carried over the roller 15, then downwardly over the idler 21 and to the idler 20. It will be seen that the conveyer composed of the actuating aprons is subjected to heavy pressure while passing between the rollers 10, 11, between the rollers 12, 13, between the rollers 14 and 16, and again while passing between the rollers 14 and 15, thus causing the juice to be effectively expressed from the material carried between the aprons, said material consisting of the pulp or pomace which drops upon the conveyer composed of the two aprons as they converge between the pressure roller 10 and the idler 20. The expressed uice is caught by a trough or receiver 25 disposed transversely within the casing and having a discharge spout 26 that projects through one side of the casing.

Supported for rotation near the rear end of the casing and above the roller carrying shafts 14, 15 is a shaft 27 carrying a brush 28 which engages the leads of the aprons 23, 24 as they emerge from between the rollers 14, 15, thus discharging the dry waste material consisting of skins, seeds and the like through an opening 29 in the tail end of the casing. The brush carrying shaft 27 carries a sprocket wheel 30 which is actuated by a chain 31 with the sprocket wheel 6 upon the shaft 3, from which motion is conveyed to the brush.

The shaft 3 carries at the end remote from the end carrying the sprocket wheel 6 and pinion 5 a pinion 32 meshing with the pinion 33 upon a stub shaft 34. The latter also carries a sprocket wheel 35 which is conwnected by a chain 36 with a sprocket wheel 37 upon a stub shaft 38 carrying also a pin- 1 M' illllllllmuw t 7 ion 39 meshing with a gear wheel 40 upon the roller carrying shaft 14. The roller carrying shafts 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 are provided with intermeshing gears 10 11 12 13 14. 15 and 16 whereby motion in the proper direction will be communicated between the said shafts.

In the operation of this invention it will be readily seen that the pulp or pomace drops from the grinding device on to the conveyer formed by the coacting aprons 23, 24, and is carried by said conveyer between the several sets of pressure rollers where the juice is forcibly expressed and strained through the material of the conveyer, the juice dropping on to the receiving trough 25 from which it is discharged over the spout 26. The waste material is discharged over the tail end of the casing by means of the cleaning brush 28.

It will be noticed that the operation of this press is continuous, and it has been found to be not only rapid in operation, but thoroughly eflective in saving all the juice, the material discharged at the tail end of the casing consisting merely of dry skins, seeds and the like.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a cider press, a casing, a plurality of spring-actuated pressure rollers supported in an approximately horizontal plane, a

guiding roller spaced from one end of the set of pressure rollers, a resilient roller adjacent to and expanding against the pressure roller which is distant from the guide roller, a guide roller supported below and spaced from the set of pressure rollers, a guide roller supported above and spaced from the set of pressure rollers, a conveyer comprising two endless aprons guided siinultaneously over and between the pressure rollers, one of said aprons being guided around the guiding roller spaced from one end of the set of pressure rollers, beneath the guiding roller, below the set of pressure rollers and over the resilient roller, and the other apron being guided over the guiding roller spaced above the set of pressure rollers, an auxiliary pressure roller engaging the lower side of the pressure roller engaged by-the resilient roller, and means for feeding material between the endless aprons and for discharging the products.

2. In a cider press, a plurality of springactuated pressure rollers supported for rotation in a horizontal plane, said pressure rollers being of difierent dimensions and of gradually increasing radius toward the discharge end of the machine, a conveyer comprising two endless aprons guided simultaneously between the said pressure rollers, guide rollers spaced forwardly, upwardly anddownwardly from the horizontal series of pressure rollers, the upper conveyer apron being guided over the upper guide roller, an auxiliary resilient pressure roller bearing against the pressure roller of large diameter at the discharge end of the machine, the lower conveyer apron being guided over said resilient roller and over the forwardly and downwardly spaced guide rollers, a cleaning brush supported to engage the conveyer aprons as they merge from between the large pressure roller and the resilient roller, an auxiliary pressure roller engaging the under surface of the upper lead of the conveyer apron as it passes beneath the large pressure roller, and means for feeding material to the machine 15 and for discharging products from the same.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

NOAH M. PATTON.

l/Vitnesses JASPER LIsK, R. L. HANLON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

